Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Ten Ton Hammer: You mentioned “mechs.” What are mechs? Movable turrets?

Will Global Agenda mechs look as good as Ripley in a power loader? We can only hope.

Todd Harris: They’re basically robotic suits that players can inhabit. As I mentioned, all of the equipable devices for Robotics are completely AI controlled. But there are some places in the game where there’s robots that are more vehicle like. They have a set of unique ways to fight, either guns or melee, and the player steps in them as a sort of single person vehicle. In the matchmade PvP arena, there’s one type of match called “Capture the Robot.” It’s like Capture the Flag, but in that game type, each side is trying to escort a Mech to the other side. In that game type, the Mech can be repaired by a Robotics (with a repair gun) and the Medic (with a heal gun). Each are partially effective.

Also, in Agency vs. Agency Conquest play, there’s actually a whole other set of devices that players are manufacturing and using to take over one another’s territory. Those include some other mechs or vehicle like devices that Robotics can keep healed. That’s a pretty cool set of devices that we’ll have to get into in the AvA interview.

Ten Ton Hammer: Very cool. We talked about the shotgun and the repair gun, but what other ranged and melee weapons options does the Robotics class offer?

Todd Harris: We mentioned the shotgun, for close fire, and an energy rifle, for longer-ranged fire. And they actually have another device called the “Rumble Blaster,” which is an area-of-effect weapon that’s very good at keeping opponents away from their fortifications. Then we mentioned their repair device, which is definitely used in almost all Robotics builds because it’s used to construct and repair deployables and repair things like mechs. For melee, they have an energy mace – a heavy capacitor on the end of a steel rod. It looks pretty cool, glows, does good damage, and If you hit your opponent from behind, drains power too.

Ten Ton Hammer: I heard you have a favorite Robotics tactic that you'd like to tell us about...

Todd Harris: We have, and I’ll let our Art Director Chuck Vinson tell you about it. 

Chuck Vinson, Global Agenda Art Director: My favorite robotics tactic is anti-robotics!  Good robotics players get used to being attacked while protecting their turrets, so confronting them directly is sometimes futile.  I often bring the flying beholder drone, which deploys and attacks instantly, and a high level repair gun that puts turrets up extremely quick.  With this build, I'll fly up behind the enemy robotics guy, who is usually staring at his turret's health bar, and I'll deploy a turret right behind him and his turret.  He generally doesn't notice me at all until my turret has deployed and begun firing, and if he does, I fly up 20 feet and drop the beholder drone in the air above his head. 

If he actually escapes the high DPS from the turret, the beholder will be wailing him from up above, and I'll be wailing on him with my Energy Mace while he's confused. Even if he flies off, my turret and drone will make short work of his turret.  Its a quick way to clear out those annoying auto-cannons  (machine gun style turrets) that are suppressing my team trying to get on the point.  I also then conveniently end up with a turret in the advantageous spot he was already using... killing two birds with one stone.

Thanks to Todd, Chuck, and the Global Agenda team for a great run of Global Agenda class interviews. Be sure to check out the Recon, Assault, and Medic class Q&As if you haven't already done so, and tune in soon for another round of AvA and game Q&As as Global Agenda moves toward a Q1 2010 launch.